Am I naive about vet care?

I am constantly seeing posts from people who have pets with obvious serious medical issues - the last one was severe facial swelling - but others have been infectious illnesses, abscesses, possible broken bones and even possible bloat - and these folks indicate they can't get a vet appointment for several days. When I've had a major problem going on with one of my animals, my vet has never hesitated to squeeze me in that day, or if it is after hours, meet me at the office or direct me to another local vet on-call or the emergency vet (for a very serious problem). I have never waited days for health care for my animals - it is easier to get them in to the doctor than it is for me! I live in a rural community with 3 vets within 20 minutes drive and a medium sized city about 40 minutes away with an emergency vet hospital. Is this level of service because I live in a small town? Is it different in big cities? I just have never faced this problem. Am I missing something?

No, I don't think you are missing a thing. Since pets cannot talk, it is our responsibility to make sure they are taken to the vet when they are sick or acting ill. I think people take on pets sometimes because they are "free", not thinking about the bills for food, grooming and most importantly the vet.

I think some of the people that post are young and do not have the means to pay for a vet bill. I have often taken my dogs to the vet because they are off food or just acting unusual. I may over react, but it is important as pets can go downhill very quickly.

Great question!

I live in Jersey (Channel Islands) In the U.K. Whenever our pets over here even have the slightest thing wrong with them, the vet is always there to help. My cat only had to have an itchy ear and I got her an appointment for the same morning! Its stupid when people have dogs with swellings etc and dont seem to be rushing out the door to the vet! I know I wouldnt be wasting my time on a website while I have a whimpering animal laying in the corner ill! I agree with you! We must be missing something!

i've worked for a few vets and they all had emergency hours where at least one vet would be on call. any time someone would call with serious health problems we advise them to come in right away, the problem is there is usually a much higher fee during emergency hours, and too many people either can't or wont spend the extra money. the attitude some people have about their animals is simply appalling

hey, ive noticed that too. and i dont live in a huge city, like new york, but i do live in Minneapolis/St.Paul area... a pretty big city, and i have never had a problem with vet care... and i know that if one vet isnt open, another one will be! so i agree with you... but i think that most of those people shouldnt be posting that on here, and should be in the care taking care of their pets!!

I've never had a problem, but then again, I am friends with my vet....and I use to work for him! While we were a small clinic, with no emergency hours...there is an emergency clinic within 15 min of where we were. I think more often than not, people dont want to spend the money to go there, or don't have the money to go there. In my opinion, you shouldn't own a dog until you are ready to have a way to take care of them when these situations arise. Whether it be knowing a vet, who is willing to work with you as far as money goes, or having the credit cards to cover it.

OH MY! My vet has ALWAYS gotten me in immediately. My dog has had allergic reactions (facial swelling), torn ligaments, seizures, tapeworms, you name it, and I've always been seen immediately. Additionally, there is an Animal ER in my SMALL city (under 30,000), and I have not failed to use it. $80 for an emergency room visit is nothing compared to the loss I would feel if my animal died. Some people are just too stupid.

I live in a metro area of about 150,000 people. My vet is always available during business hours. If I have an emergency (which I've never had when the vet was open), I would just take my cats in immediately and they would work her in asap depending on the emergency. If she is just sick, they might tell me to bring her in the next day but I would never have to wait longer than that and never for a true emergency. At night and on weekends and holidays we have an emergency vet. So there is always somewhere to take my cats. The only time you might have to wait a week or whatever is for vaccinations or spays. My vets are just smart enough to schedule emergency time into each day that covers emergencies and walk-ins or surgeries that run over time.